What’s on John Abraham’s bucket list?

Bollywood actor John Abraham’s passion for fitness is well-known. So it comes as no surprise that he’s the ambassador and face of . We caught up with him for a quick Q&A:

Do you enjoy cycling? If you had to pick a city or region to see by bike, which would it be? I love cycling; I’ve been doing it since I was young. Usually, I cycle on my stationary bike in my gym, but jokes apart, if I had to pick just one region to see by bike, it would be Holland.

Any favourite cycling routes, destinations or spots in India or the ones you’d like to try out? Well, to be honest, I haven’t bicycled as much as I’ve motorcycled. So I think it’s fair to admit that I’d actually have to discover spaces and places in India where I could cycle. But I’d definitely like to go to the Lahul and Spiti valleys and then from the Rohtang Pass go all the way up to Kaza.

Is Bollywood yet to explore cycling fully as a theme of a film? There was a film, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992). It’s one of my favourites and easily one of the nicest films to come from Bollywood. At least, I think so. But that was a long time ago and I think we as a country really need to rediscover cycling in a big way, and since Bollywood is such a big influencer, why not start with a movie?

Dhoom took care of the bikes. Would you be involved a film based on cycling? Absolutely! I hope we find something that’s credible that we can get up there. But I would love to!

Do you prefer activity-based holidays or chill out on the beach? Both, but I do prefer being active. Most holidays I go on always include a sport. I need to keep moving.

Films inspire people. Do you see a trend towards more fitness-related vacations? I hope films set a precedent—and I hope we make films that set a precedent. I hope we can make a film that’s credible enough for people to go out there and try and emulate, by making fitness a more integral part of their daily lives.

Tell us 5 things on your travel bucket list Antarctica would definitely be on my bucket list. Seeing walruses, penguins and seals in their natural habitat—surrounded by all that ice—has been a long-time dream. I’ve never been to Japan, so that’s definitely on my list too—motorcycles and sushi, what’s not to love? Greenland, South Africa and the Amazonian Rainforest would be on the list too.

What kind of traveller are you? Do you like luxury or outdoorsy? Oh, definitely outdoorsy! Luxury is a by-product. If I’m shooting and I’m given luxurious products or put up in a five-star hotel, I’m fine with that. But can I do without it? Yes, I can very much and very well do without it.

You’ve travelled extensively for films, any observations that you’d like to share? No matter where I go, I’ve always observed that the Indian diaspora is a lot more obsessed with Bollywood films than we are here. A film does well abroad even if it’s all song-and-dance with absolutely no story at all. And then the industry is blamed for not creating content when we ourselves feed those millions of dreams that thrive off those colours, song and dance just so they can hold on to their tradition. But the times have changed and we do need to adopt new story arcs in our movies. At least I feel so.